Jesus tends not to take sides, meaning he does not play favorites or act like a judge. Jesus does however clearly take the side of life. Jesus is not on the side of war. He is on the side of peace. In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus, the peacemaker, is letting disciples know he will always be on their side, advocating for them and their peacemaking; “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit … will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give peace to you.”
All of humanity, to varying degrees, has known the type of peace the world gives. It is the false peace enforced by War Lords who dominate people. It is the false peace dominating people in the U.S. That false peace will be Memorialized in the U.S. on a Day this weekend by those on the side of war. Self titled Christians want us to believe Jesus is on the side of war, specifically on the side of the U.S., its War Lords, and their wars. Camilo Mejia was once on the side of U.S. War Lords and their wars. He was trained by the U.S. Army to fight evil enemies in Iraq, and, for gaslighting purposes, was called a ‘peacekeeper.’ Once in Iraq he realized he was no ‘peacekeeper’ and the evil enemy was the U.S. and its soldiers, himself included. He saw brutal cruelties and gratuitous violence done by U.S. soldiers. Not only done to armed combatants also dominated by War Lords and coerced into fighting an evil enemy, but done to unarmed civilians. The brutality and violence were set into the behavioral ethic of men whose conscience was set to the side when trained as soldiers. But Camilo Mejia would not allow his conscience to be set to the side. In conscience, thereby disobeying the orders of ranked superiors, Camilo left the military. He claimed conscientious objector status but was arrested, charged with desertion, and imprisoned for one year. “I was a coward, not for leaving the war, but for having been a part of it in the first place. I failed to fulfill my moral duty as a human being, and instead I chose to fulfill my duty as a soldier. What good is freedom if we are not able to live with our own actions? I am confined to a prison, but I feel, today more than ever, connected to all humanity. Behind these bars I sit a free man because I listened to a higher power, the voice of my conscience.” Among Mr. Mejia’s current endeavors is to be an advisor to The Center on Conscience and War. He “advocates for the rights of conscience, opposes military conscription, and serves all conscientious objectors to war.” He is now on the side of peace and on the side of other soldiers seeking that same peace.
“The land that I live in Has God on its side Oh the history books tell it They tell it so well The cavalries charged The Indians fell… Oh the Spanish-American War had its day And the Civil War too was soon laid away And the names of the heroes… had guns in their hands And God on their side Oh the First World War boys … Accept it with Pride For you don’t count the dead When God’s on your side When the Second World War Came to an end We forgave the Germans And we were friends Though they murdered six million In the ovens they fried The Germans now too Have God on their side I’ve learned to hate Russians… to run and to hide If another war starts … (I’ll) accept it all bravely With God on my side But now we got weapons Of the chemical dust If fire them we’re forced to Then fire them we must… you never ask questions When God’s on your side Through many dark hour I’ve been thinkin’ about this That Jesus Christ Was betrayed by a kiss But I can’t think for you You’ll have to decide Whether Judas Iscariot Had God on his side… if God’s on our side (God’ll) stop the next war.” (With God On Our Side – Bob Dylan)
Prayer: Spirit of Peace, guide us toward peace on all sides.
Question: How can I help soldiers know peace?
May 26, 2019 Gospel John 14:23-29 Sixth Sunday of Easter